Anti-Spyware App Performance > Wise words indeed

reply to Logan 5

Re: Wise words indeed

Yeah, but have you ever tried to call MS for an issue? I would rather deal with a fully infected machine browsing on a 14.4k connection then deal with trying to speak with someone that knows anything or would admit that it is something wrong with an MS product.

reply to Smitedogg
I have different computers that serve differing functions for me. I have a laptop that I do most of my browsing on, I have a non-laptop that serves DNS, FTP, SMTP, web caching server and filtering, VPN, terminal services and a lot more. Windows 2000, XP, or 2003 are quite workable, and just like anything else, you get back what you put in (Those of you who don't know about group policy, try looking around gpedit.msc to start taking control of your OS). If you are a "one size fits all" type of user, then the idea of different products for different purposes (whether it be OS, firewall, hardware, browser, or anything) probably won't make sense to you. My server doesn't run Windows XP. My server isn't used to browse the web or play games. It is maintained as a server should be, and was set up with the care and feeding any mediocre **IX user would use regarding their own **IX box. The truth is, a Windows based server can be very safe and reliable, but that may not happen if you "set it and forget it." When I first set it up, my machine ran Win2000 server, a few months ago I migrated it to Win2003. I occasionally go to the IRC hack channels and invite penetration attempts, and have for the past 2 years or so, not to mention trying it myself. Not one successful penetration nor DOS. The machine has run without trouble for 4 months continuously while performing quite well.

Spyware is complicated stuff. I remove much of it by hand. The Spybot-AdAware 1-2 punch gets the vast majority of it, what remains (or is recopied on delete or reboot) needs to be recognized, and removed by other means. As the functionality of an OS increases, so will the level of complication. An operating system is a lot like a car. A car can drive through rivers and climb hills (Jeep) or can drive the road like nobody's business (Dodge Viper). They're both cars, but they are geared towards different uses, pun intended and they both require care and feeding appropriate for their purpose. I wouldn't expect the Viper to climb the hills and cross the streams, and the Jeep may not take the mountain roads at 150 MPH.

I think, for both an OS and a program, that I would rather not say there is one that is best across the board without considering the differences. Personally, I like the HijackThis way - provide the information, it's up to you to interpret it. On the other side, I have seen a few falses by the MS beta, based on directory and filename only. Why no string matches, and why is it presented as definite? When I am not feeling lazy I will create some dummy files and dirs of well known spywares and run Spybot and AdAware against them to see what happens. I prefer either more information or a miss, to an all-out false. A miss can be covered properly in an update. A false may (will likely) have some users removing legitimate software.

I would rather say that there is one that is most appropriate for a use. Still, I think that it should be easier to remove spyware, but because I understand the deep roots that spyware digs for itself, and the parts of the OS that it overwrites or replaces, and the places it hides itself, I do understand why there are many spyware removal programs. Have you seen the latest one that hides itself and runs from the recycle bin, even in safe mode? It only makes itself plainly evident by the inability to empty the recycle bin. Nasty.

There will be at least as many programs to remove spyware as there are definitions of spyware. "MS Error Reporting Service?" Weatherbug? SearchBuddy? Anything that sends or collects any data could conceivably fall into the unethical category unless it has been tested by a trusted, independent authority. I see the day coming where many people will only obtain software that has been checked by the trusted authority of their choice, not just because of the spyware problem, but also because of interoperability and performance issues.